In the home, the lab and the factory, electric fields^[1] control technologies such as Kindle displays, medical diagnostic tests and devices that purify cancer drugs. In an electric field, anything with an electrical charge – from an individual atom to a large particle – experiences a force that can be used to push it in a desired...

People often take walking for granted. We just move, one step after another, without ever thinking about what it takes to make that happen. Yet every single step is an extraordinary act of coordination, driven by precise timing between spinal cord, brain, nerves, muscles and joints.

Historically, people have used stopwatches, cameras or...

Curious Kids^[1] is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.^[2]. Why do people have two sets of teeth? – Ivy D., age 11, Hyde Park, New York Teeth help animals bite and chew food. Meat-eating carnivores tend to have sharp teeth to sink